Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and El Viejo Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and El Viejo

🙂 Solo nomad: Chiang Mai is 17.7% cheaper than El Viejo without rent, and 20.1% more expensive with rent.

🙂 Family of 3: Chiang Mai is 14.3% cheaper than El Viejo without rent, and 18.2% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.97 ฿62.0

$5.05 NIO 186

-60.99%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.68 ฿587

$35.08 NIO 1,292

-46.75%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.92 ฿249

$6.90 NIO 254

14.78%

Cappuccino

$2.02 ฿63.6

$2.41 NIO 88.9

-16.18%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.84 ฿26.44

$0.86 NIO 31.66

-2.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.35 ฿11.06

$0.70 NIO 25.71

-50.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.22 ฿69.9

$1.35 NIO 49.64

64.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.59 ฿113

$1.96 NIO 72.3

83.16%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.67 ฿52.3

$1.27 NIO 46.58

31.50%

White Bread (500g)

$1.62 ฿51.1

$2.47 NIO 91.0

-34.41%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.20 ฿37.82

$1.80 NIO 66.2

-33.33%

Eggs

$1.93 ฿60.8

$2.32 NIO 85.6

-16.81%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.00 ฿503

$11.15 NIO 410

43.50%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.16 ฿99.2

$6.55 NIO 241

-51.76%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.93 ฿343

$8.02 NIO 295

36.28%

Apples (1kg)

$2.67 ฿83.8

$3.88 NIO 143

-31.19%

Banana (1kg)

$1.18 ฿36.98

$0.86 NIO 31.54

37.21%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.64 ฿51.5

$1.75 NIO 64.3

-6.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.59 ฿49.82

$2.21 NIO 81.3

-28.05%

Potato (1kg)

$1.32 ฿41.63

$3.82 NIO 141

-65.45%

Onion (1kg)

$1.19 ฿37.48

$2.20 NIO 81.0

-45.91%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿22.19

$1.07 NIO 39.38

-33.64%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ฿17.74

$1.00 NIO 36.98

-44.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.64 ฿146

$2.71 NIO 99.8

71.22%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.96 ฿596

$14.44 NIO 532

31.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 ฿55.6

$1.45 NIO 53.3

22.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.20 ฿101

$2.19 NIO 80.7

46.12%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.90 ฿28.31

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.24 ฿605

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.36 ฿42.77

$1.52 NIO 56.1

-10.53%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.35 ฿42.35

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.15 ฿256

$6.90 NIO 254

18.12%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.22 ฿38.42

$1.31 NIO 48.37

-6.87%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$21.4K ฿671.6K

$22.7K NIO 837.1K

-6.01%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$21.7K ฿683.6K

$26.0K NIO 957.8K

-16.39%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$70.3 ฿2,210

$100 NIO 3,688

-29.81%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$13.91 ฿437

$16.87 NIO 621

-17.55%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.00 ฿566

$36.60 NIO 1,348

-50.82%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.78 ฿1,313

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.80 ฿214

Cinema Ticket

$5.72 ฿180

$8.08 NIO 298

-29.21%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$308 ฿9,690

$126 NIO 4,638

144.75%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿465.6K

$5,955 NIO 219.2K

148.77%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.9 ฿1,755

$76.7 NIO 2,823

-27.16%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$26.71 ฿839

$73.8 NIO 2,716

-63.79%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.5 ฿2,657

$133 NIO 4,889

-36.34%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$70.8 ฿2,226

$106 NIO 3,920

-33.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$431 ฿13.5K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$237 ฿7,437

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$811 ฿25.5K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$501 ฿15.7K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,202 ฿69.2K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,600 ฿50.3K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$684 ฿21.5K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.25

-51.22%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Chiang Mai: January 13, 2026

Last update for El Viejo: January 10, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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